(This article was re-published from the IFT Phi Tau Sigma
April 2012 Newsletter)

Ms. Emily Steinberg,
Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences at
Clemson University was selected to receive Phi Tau Sigma Student Achievement
Award. Since 2009, Ms. Steinberg has been working on her Ph.D. in Food
Technology with a focus on comparing the production, consumption and compositional
differences between organic and conventional produce. Her research is unique
because few studies have made direct comparisons of organic and conventional
produce and none of the existing work has been conducted on varieties
indigenous to the Southeastern portion of the U.S. In addition, Ms. Steinberg’s
graduate project fills critical knowledge gaps because of increased consumption
of fresh produce and organically produced foods and because of the expansion of
organic farming in the Southeast (SE). In the U.S. and specifically in S.C.,
nearly all of the farms are classified as small family farms (< 99 acres;
USDA, 2009). To remain competitive with larger farms, many of the small farms
have targeted specialty products such as organic produce because it provides
higher economic returns from lower farming-inputs. U.S. produce farmers,
consumers/general public, scientists, students, industry publication editors,
regulatory agencies (FDA, USDA-AMS) and other agricultural industries will
benefit from Emily’s graduate research project.

Ms. Steinberg is an worthy of this award because she has excelled at all three
of the traditional university emphasis areas: Research, Teaching and Extension.
Her graduate work has involved technology transfer of Good Agricultural
Practices (GAPs) and food safety strategies directly to end-users – farmers and
consumers. Through three hands-on Extension workshops, Ms. Steinberg has
provided information to nearly 100 farmers on on-farm food safety, basic
microbiology, irrigation water microbiology, basic water chemistry and
self-auditing practices. This training has been critical as produce farmers are
now required to become GAPs certified (FDA’s Federal Food Safety Modernization
Act- 2010). GAPscertification is expensive, time-consuming and difficult for
small farm that do not have the same resources as the larger operations but it
will ensure that they remain competitive with larger operations. Ms. Steinberg
has not only excelled at non-traditional Extension teaching, but she is also
one of the most sought-after teaching assistants (TA) within the department.
She has consistently received the highest undergraduate student scores for
positive interaction with undergraduate students and they actually change
sections to have her as their Teaching Assistant.

On her own initiative, Ms. Steinberg established the Phi Tau Sigma Chapter at
Clemson University, in the Spring of 2011, and serves as the first president of
this Chapter. This involved contacting the national Phi Tau Sigma leadership,
preparing the Chapter By-Laws, identifying individuals to be nominated for
membership and forwarding their nominations to the Membership Qualifications
Committee, all culminating in obtaining a Charter from the national Phi Tau
Sigma leadership for establishment of the Chapter at Clemson University. The
response by undergraduates and graduate students in the program has been
excellent.

It is for all the reasons mentioned above that the Clemson University
Department of Food, Nutrition and Packaging Sciences supports and nominated Ms.
Emily Steinberg for the Phi Tau Sigma Student Award.